The NBA world was turned upside down when The Ringer reported Philadelphia 76ers' president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo has been operating multiple fake Twitter accounts that have criticized 76ers' players like Joel Embiid and Markelle Fultz, bashed former Philadelphia general manager Sam Hinkie and disclosed nonpublic medical information, among other things.
The report was released on Tuesday night and lit Twitter on fire with NBA players, executives and journalists alike all chiming in on the truly mind-boggling news.
Sixers' star Joel Embiid is not stranger to Twitter and immediately got in on the action with a few tweets to kick things off.
BRUH pic.twitter.com/hv59PDxlgY
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) May 30, 2018
Joel told me that @samhinkie IS BETTER AND SMARTER THAN YOU @AlVic40117560 #BurnerAccount
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) May 30, 2018
Fellow 76ers player Trevor Booker — the subject of one of the tweets from the burner account — commented on the report as well.
Just when I was getting depressed bc there weren’t any NBA tonight, this happens. I knew there was a basketball god after all.
— Trevor Booker (@35_Fitz) May 30, 2018
Even Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey put his thoughts into the fray.
You need two blue checks to confirm you are not a burner https://t.co/eZPp2KZ3hg
— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) May 30, 2018
To which Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban responded:
Actually , that was back in the day. As of the new TPA (Twitter Posting Agreement ) every NBA exec gets assigned 7 burner accounts. Let me know if I can help you get a 🔥for your accounts. BTW, loved your burner account names. @moreymeister is my fave. #FeelTheBurn https://t.co/SRn6vH6PBd
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) May 30, 2018
It didn't take long for NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski to get a scoop from Embiid and then provide comment of his own.
Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid tells ESPN on Bryan Colangelo: “I talked to him and he said that he didn’t say that. He called me just to deny the story. Gotta believe him until proven otherwise. If true though, that would be really bad.”
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 30, 2018
Maybe there’s an IT person who can prove it wasn’t Bryan Colangelo, but here’s one of his biggest problems in disputing Ringer story: Those tweets reflected not only private team biz, but launched personal beefs/jealousies/frustrations that he’s shared inside and outside 76ers.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 30, 2018
There is truly never a dull day in the NBA.
Just when you thought it would be a slow night in the NBA ... pic.twitter.com/DkcS1AuCTV
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 30, 2018